Is Remote Working and Work From Home becoming the New Normal

Traditional working styles have been mimicked and made fun of for quite a long. Terms such as Monday Morning Blues and TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) have been popular jargon among the working class. People have often mentioned that ''they haven't even gone to bed, and they already can't wait to come back home from work the next day!'' Why is it so? Is it because they don't like to work? That can't be the case because most people talking like these are highly productive and efficient at their workplaces. So then, what is the problem? They do not like the office space, building, or ambience. Maybe or maybe not, because office spaces are often beautifully designed places where you can meet your colleagues, have tea, and gossip about work. The problem is still not clear. Well! The problem has always been leaving your sweet home, your most comfortable space in this world, and going to work. But what if the work is pulled back to your homes? Yes! You guessed it correctly. You are being asked to work from home. You are being asked whether you would like to choose remote work or not.

Growing Trend of Work From Home

Work from home is not a new concept. IT professionals managing off-location projects had to manage teams from home or office at a different location. Ideally, off-location such a situation should be termed as Remote working since the IT professionals were remotely operating from different locations. This has been a trend for the past few decades when the teams and organisational setups have gone global. Not only in the IT field, at times, but even professional doctors have collaborated remotely or opted for remote work to assist in crucial surgeries. Therefore, the concept of remote work is not new at all.

However, work from home has mostly been restricted to freelancers or consultants working independently. Very few of the top executives or personnel of the company management opted to work from home to manage the busy schedules at home and office or while struggling with health issues at home. Making work from home a routine even when technology has been your constant companion has not crossed the professionals' minds, though the hidden secret desire has always been there. A pandemic like Covid made this hidden desire a reality, and the world experienced how work from home can become a new normal if need be. Even after the pandemic has somewhat subsided and things are becoming normal in the post covid situation, professionals like you have an important contradiction in mind–whether working from home and remote work becomes the new professional normal accepted by the industry and the individuals? The answer to this is not as simple as being thought of. Why? The answer to this is not simple because there are problems at multiple levels.

Decoding Work From Home Concept 

Many studies are being conducted worldwide to understand whether work from home can be continued even in the post- covid situation. The big media houses are searching for answers to such crucial questions. Unfortunately, the statistics justify both sides of the debate, thus making the situation even worse. Let's understand both perspectives first and then decide whether work from home can be accepted as the new normal.

According to the Talent Tech Outlook 2022 study, around 82 per cent of the employees want to continue working from home rather than going to the office and working. According to the same study, around 64 percent of the employees are more productive and less stressed when working from home than working from an office. Understanding how working from home could increase employee productivity, and satisfaction is interesting. This is because balancing work-life balance becomes much easier when working from home. Further, the employees do not feel the pain of staying away from their family members, tiny children and aged parents and travelling far for work. Therefore, the levels of satisfaction in work-life.

Even the HR managers and other organisational representatives have confirmed that hiring full-time office-based employees is becoming challenging since more employees prefer working from home and remotely so that they do not need to shift. The pandemic has always helped us deal with issues remotely and has taught us how to collaborate with the team by virtually using the digital platform. Therefore, even in the near post covid situation, virtual collaboration would not be an issue in today's digital era when the world is returning to normal.

Remote Working is Becoming a Reality

Further, while digital technologies have successfully made remote working a reality, even companies find the concept of remote working or working from home an economical option. The organisational leaders have also confirmed that in some cases working from home can mean a sustainable future for the organisation as it saves on transportation costs of shifting employees from one city to another. The organisations also save on building smaller office spaces and paying lesser leases or rent since they have to accommodate fewer employees within the office. Some organisations, especially multinational organizations, used to think of setting up an office in a specific country or location. Work from home would help them set up such an office without any financial investment. Therefore, the future of work becomes more sustainable when working from home is the accepted new normal. Even the environment can be saved since work from home allows resources to be used conservatively.

On the other hand, some people believe that working from home cannot become a new normal because every household has a different story and setup, and the same might not be congenial to work peacefully. So! Can the employees hire or rent a space near their homes where they can work? It is quite a possibility because companies or startups have started the concept of shared workspace or coworking spaces where employees from different organisations can hire a bench and work peacefully near their homes. Would that be acceptable? While this might be acceptable in most cases, there are specific situations where data security and privacy are applied as quite an important aspect of work. In such situations, the concept of coworking spaces would not be a good idea. However, the coworking space concept helps utilise the resources conservatively and work more sustainably and effectively, wherever such a concept can be applied.

Opposing Views to Work From Home Trend

Advocates against the concept of work from home also suggest that there can be an issue of lack of focus and creative collaboration when work from home is practiced. They suggest that jobs requiring focus, attention, creativity, and imagination cannot be done from home since the home atmosphere might be disruptive and concentration can be hampered. However, advocates for the motion would argue that most writers and painters have found their inspiration amidst nature and among people. They argue that concentration is a habit, and inspiration strikes suddenly. When such inspiration strikes, no matter where the employee is, they can create a creative masterpiece easily. 

Another argument against the concept of work from home is that the employees tend to work overtime, and breaks have just been omitted from life in the era of work from home. A lot of research confirms that employees working from home can face physical health issues in the absence of ergonomic furniture and while sitting for long hours without a break. In the absence of ergonomic furniture at home, employees use beds, couches, sofas, or even the dining table as their work station. The sitting posture of the employees could be affected. This situation, though, can be handled easily by purchasing ergonomic furniture suitable for your work requirements. This would help you maintain the right posture and avoid any painful situation with your back, shoulder, and neck. Further, the employees also need to practice a regular schedule of work and shut down their working equipment after a stipulated period compulsorily.

Someone has answered wisely all such arguments and justifications and intelligently. All such discussion focuses on one point: working from home is possible if the employee wants and practices it diligently and if the nature of the work and the organization permit the employee to do so. However, here are some of the points that have to be taken care of while you decide to work from home and are willing to set up your Work From Home Office Space at home:

• The first step towards building the perfect work from the Home environment within your home is to get your setup essentials. All these setup essentials and many more are easily available at the greensoul.online.
• The second step is to find the perfect corner at your house where you can set your ergonomic workspace. The corner should essentially be well ventilated and devoid of any distraction. Set up your office comfortably and start working instantly.

Create A Perfect Office Space

Having the best quality products and tools would ease your life and help you maintain your health (physical and mental) easily. Some of the important setup requirements you would require to include ergonomic chairs, desks, desk accessories, technical ware, closets, or storage spaces to store your work essentials, among others. You can easily order your personalized furniture and other basic setup requirements from the GreenSoul. Then, the organization would help you get them delivered to your doorstep. After that, you can easily install them and start working almost instantly. However, you are advised to take frequent breaks and engage in simple physical activities such as walking, light exercises, moving around in nature, engaging physical activities, and engaging in a healthy lifestyle. In addition, you should eat well and sleep well to maintain a perfectly healthy mind and body and continue working from home confidently.